Which lint rollers and lint brushes have no plastic in the handle, the pickup surface or the way it's held together?
Short answer: we can't find a plastic-free lint rollers and brushe we can verify. Every candidate we checked had a plastic part beyond a small seal, or one we could not confirm. The list below says which.
Nothing in lint rollers has earned a spot yet. We checked one, Redecker's bronze wire clothes brush, and we can't tell if it's plastic-free.
It's an oiled pearwood handle, brass wire and a row of horsehair, with nothing in it that we'd call plastic. What's missing is how the bristles are set, whether there's a hanging loop and what it's made of, and what the oil is. Both stockists we checked show it sold out.
Side by side
Every lint rollers and brushe we checked, and what kept each one off the list. The full evidence for each is one click away.
| Rank | Photo | Materials | Packaging | Price seen | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checked, not listed | |||||
 | Redecker Bronze Wire Clothes Brush Cannot tell | ||||
| oiled pearwood, brass wire, horsehair | Not verified yet | Not linked | A major part is unverified | ||
Where plastic hides in lint rollers and brushes
A standard lint roller is a plastic handle wrapped in a sticky sheet, and the sheets are plastic film with synthetic adhesive. The reusable ones are no better: the washable "sticky" roller is a silicone or polymer drum in a plastic case. The plastic-free versions skip the adhesive altogether. A beech handle with a brass comb, a natural rubber brush, or a horsehair clothes brush all pick up lint without a sheet. What to watch is the small stuff: a lacquered handle, glued bristles, and rubber that's blended with synthetic.
What to check before you buy
- Pickup surface: brass, steel, natural rubber or animal bristle, or silicone and synthetic adhesive?
- Handle: untreated or oiled wood, or a lacquered or plastic-coated one?
- Fixing: how the comb, bristles or rubber are held (copper wire, pitch, glue, staples)?
- Rubber: natural rubber, or a blend with synthetic?
- Packaging: card and paper, or a plastic sleeve?
Know of one?
If you make or own a lint rollers and brushes with no plastic in it, including the seal, tell us: chairman@amaterio.com. Send the maker's page and what the seal is made of. We vet every tip and publish the ones that hold up, with credit.
Checked and not listed
- Redecker Bronze Wire Clothes Brush
Cannot tellAn oiled pearwood handle, brass wire and a row of horsehair, which is as close to plastic-free as a clothes brush gets. We still can't call it. We don't know how the bristles are held in the wood, whether there's a hanging loop and what it's made of, or what the oil is. The two stockists we checked, one in Toronto and one in Australia, both showed it sold out.